Book 1 Chapter 491

"My Lord Commander. Why have you come to such ruins?"

The woman standing beside Commander Hell Kaiser bowed her head and asked.

The Blood Queen, Elgenie, was one of Tartarus's Legion Commanders.

"This is the tomb of Commander Kinesis, who was once called the Mirror Queen."

It was none other than Grand Duke Artkhan of Mourning who answered Elgenie's question.

Elgenie glared at Artkhan.

Even though he was a great demon who had lived for 5,000 years, Artkhan was a subordinate of a Legion Commander.

In terms of demonic status, Elgenie was superior.

However, Elgenie felt a great threat from Artkhan.

It wasn't just Elgenie.

Currently, all of Tartarus's Legion Commanders were wary of Artkhan.

Even though they were all Legion Commanders, not everyone was on equal footing.

Three Legion Commanders who had lived since the Age of Calamity.

The Commander of the Dead, the Queen of Monsters, and the King of Giants were on a completely different level.

And Elgenie was a confidante of the Queen of Monsters, Silatuna.

When she became a Legion Commander as Silatuna's confidante, she had no major concerns.

However, after Silatuna fell, her position within Tartarus began to waver.

No Legion Commander was unaware that the Commander of the Dead, the de facto ruler of Tartarus, did not favor the later Legion Commanders.

'A incompetent Legion Commander could be expelled at any time. If that happens, it is highly likely that he will take our place.'

If Artkhan were not so competent, he might have already ascended to the position of Legion Commander.

It was then that Elgenie bit her lip.

"Mirror Queen Kinesis was subjugated by Luna at this very spot 5,000 years ago," the Commander of the Dead muttered indifferently.

"You need the soil from the tomb of the one who became the object of resentment."

"I will go to the tomb of the progenitor of the Nebula."

"No, I will go. My Lord Commander."

Elgenie stepped forward and knelt.

"Please give me the order."

"If you wish, you may go. Blood Queen."

"Yes, I will not disappoint you."

***

'What was that just now?'

Leo, who had cleaned up the bloodstains, had a serious expression.

The distinct pain and smell of blood made it clear it was not a hallucination or delusion.

'Is it related to dreams?'

He recalled a dream he had a little while ago.

He could never forget the content of the dream.

'It wasn't just a simple dream.'

This was something that happened 5,000 years ago.

The three great heroes, having lost Aron and Dweono, fought a decisive battle against Erebus here.

'And… they lost.'

In the end, it wasn't a loss.

Just as the great heroes couldn't defeat Erebus.

Erebus also couldn't annihilate the great heroes.

Rather, Erebus also suffered a heavy blow and retreated.

It was the same for Aron and Dweono.

Just because they possessed immortality didn't mean they were unharmed.

The wounds inflicted on Erebus by Aron and Dweono, who risked their lives, clearly paved the way for the remaining great heroes.

The five fierce battles of the final journey.

They were all crucial processes for subjugating Erebus.

Yet, the reason Leo considered the previous four battles as defeats was because he had lost comrades.

Leo took a deep breath.

'The dream wasn't from my perspective, but from Luna's.'

Leo recalled the third battle.

Leo, who inherited Aron's aura and Dweono's flame, played the role of holding back Erebus alone on the front lines.

Leo closed his eyes and recalled 5,000 years ago.

'After burying Dweono, we moved east. And then…'

It was during a break before the third battle.

'…We must win. We must win and survive.'

Luna said as if making a vow.

'The three of us will fulfill Aron and Dweono's dream. Let's live diligently for the sake of both of them.'

When Aron closed his eyes, Luna cried until she fainted.

When Dweono left, Luna didn't cry.

She killed her emotions and only burned with hatred for Erebus.

'Right before the final expedition, our thoughts were all different.'

Aron feared the death of his friends.

Dweono resolved to sacrifice himself in place of others.

Lisinas vowed to save the world at any cost.

'I was prepared for failure.'

Leo's eyes darkened.

When everyone was prepared to sacrifice.

Only Luna, among the five, thought that no one would die.

While Luna's optimistic personality played a part, even before that, Luna probably couldn't imagine it.

'That one person among the five would be gone.'

Their races were different, but they were family nonetheless.

She probably couldn't tolerate losing even one person.

'Let's create a happy world for the children Aron wished for… and a world full of beauty that Dweono wanted to create. So… let's be happy.'

These were Dweono's last words to Luna.

He left words of trust to Lisinas and words of encouragement to Kyle.

And to Luna, he left words of happiness.

Luna and Dweono, who bickered the most in the party.

Their races were fundamentally opposing, and their personalities and pursuits were different.

Still, they were also best drinking buddies.

'It was like an uncle and nephew.'

That's why Dweono genuinely worried about Luna, who couldn't bring herself to accept parting with someone.

Luna, who smiled at him and Lisinas, saying they should be happy.

That was the last genuine smile Luna had shown.

As the third decisive battle began.

Erebus's appearance was different from before.

The giant primordial evil transformed into the size of an ordinary human and appeared before the three.

The sudden change in the demon's appearance.

The three knew who he was trying to guard against.

'He was most wary of Luna's magic.'

At that time, Luna's magic was lethal even to a divine being like Erebus.

Although she didn't possess the pure mana attribute, making it impossible to kill the immortal Erebus, if he had been directly hit by Luna's magic and then tried to fight back.

'He would have been finished.'

So he reduced his body size to reduce the target.

As the battle began, Erebus relentlessly targeted Luna.

'But Luna was a genius beyond Erebus's expectations.'

Luna modified the End of Magic spell, which threatened Erebus, into an individual spell during the battle.

As a result, Erebus succeeded in inflicting a fatal wound on Luna, but he also suffered severe damage from Luna's magic.

Afterward, Leo faced the original form of Erebus alone to defeat him.

'I should have defeated him then.'

Leo's face contorted as he recalled that time.

Leo couldn't hold Erebus back alone.

Instead, he sustained a fatal wound.

When Lisinas stepped in alone to fight Erebus in place of the two injured individuals.

Luna smiled at Leo as if to reassure him.

It was a smile, but seeing her contorted face, on the verge of tears, he intuitively knew.

That Luna was also about to leave.

'Hey…!'

'Kyle…'

'Don't.'

'If one of us has to live… I know it's right for you to stay, carrying Aron and Dweono.'

'Don't! You damn bitch!'

'This is for the best. If it were you, you would have done the same.'

'No…! It's not!'

'I'm sorry for leaving you behind.'

Recalling the past, Leo looked down at his hands.

'Could this dream be related to spirit summoning?'

He had heard it from Lisinas.

Sometimes, one dreams of the experiences of spirits.

'Sometimes, what you experience in a dream feels real.'

But even so, the wounds sustained in a dream don't appear in reality.

'Is it even possible for Luna's spirit to remain?'

Leo's expression turned serious.

It had been 5,000 years ago.

Spirits are beings with lingering attachments to the world.

And Leo didn't think his comrades would have any regrets about this world.

Even though they closed their eyes without seeing the world saved, they believed.

That their remaining friends would save the world.

And indeed, the world was saved.

With this, their comrades' greatest wishes were fulfilled.

'If that dream is spirit summoning… did Luna have other worries?'

It was then that Leo's expression turned serious.

*Knock, knock… creak…*

"Leo, are you awake?"

With a knock, the door opened cautiously, and Chen Xia peeked her head in.

"I'm awake."

"Yes. Please have breakfast."

"Okay."

Although he had woken up in the early morning, it was now morning.

"What are you planning to do today?"

Chen Xia asked, standing beside Leo as he walked out of his room. Leo replied nonchalantly.

"I have something to find."

"Something to find?"

"Yes."

"What are you looking for?"

To Chen Xia's puzzled question, Leo replied briefly.

"A grave."

***

After breakfast, Leo immediately entered the depths of the forest.

"Leo-sama. Miss Xia said you were looking for a grave. Whose grave are you looking for?"

"Luna's grave."

"Ah, Luna-sama… Yes?"

Eiran, who had been nodding as if he understood, widened his eyes.

And he pouted his lips.

"Luna, Luna-sama?"

"That's right. Luna died around here."

"My goodness!"

Eiran's eyes widened.

Seeing Eiran surprised, Leo put his index finger to his lips.

Then Eiran hastily covered his mouth.

"What kind of secret are you discussing so interestingly?"

Chen Xia, who approached from a distance, asked with a puzzled expression.

"It's nothing much."

Chen Xia, who still didn't know Leo's identity, couldn't tell her about Luna's grave.

Thus, the three began searching for the grave in the forest.

"Do you know the exact location?"

"I don't know that much," Leo replied nonchalantly to Chen Xia's question.

'There's a high probability that the grave's form no longer remains.'

When the sun was high in the sky.

Leo's eyes twitched as he thought about Luna's grave.

"Leo-sama?"

Chen Xia looked puzzled as she saw Leo's sudden change in demeanor.

"Are these hero candidates? Why are these milky-breathed rookies here?"

A mocking voice was heard.

*Rustle, rustle…*

A woman with red hair and red eyes appeared with the sound of her feet crunching through the undergrowth.

"A demon?"

Chen Xia frowned at the aura emanating from the woman.

"She's no ordinary demon, human girl."

The Blood Queen, Elgenie, curled her lips.

"I am Elgenie, the Blood Queen, a Legion Commander of the great Tartarus."

Chen Xia and Eiran flinched at the sudden appearance of such a powerful figure.

"Why is a Legion Commander here?" Leo asked with a blank expression.

"I have no reason to tell you, but, fufu. I'll tell you this much: I came here on the Commander of the Dead's orders."

Elgenie said with a sneer.

The reason she mentioned the Commander of the Dead was simple.

The Commander of the Dead.

His name alone had the power to strike fear into the hearts of his opponents.

She intended to instill even greater fear in the hero candidates, who were already experiencing extreme terror due to her presence.

The Blood Queen intended to kill the three by instilling extreme fear.

"The Commander of the Dead."

Leo's lips curled up.

"If he went to the trouble of sending a Legion Commander like you all the way here… are you looking for Luna's grave?"

"How do you know that?"

Elgenie's expression changed drastically.

And at that moment.

Leo's eyes gleamed.

The overwhelming killing intent emanating from Leo's body caused the surroundings to stir.

Chen Xia's face turned pale.

She could feel the spirits she had contracted with fleeing in terror.

Eiran's lips trembled.

The primal killing intent.

It disappeared at some point.

"Honestly, I never intended to let a demon leave here alive from the moment they arrived."

Leo was smiling.

"If your objective is Luna's grave, I have to pay even more attention, don't I?"

'What is this human?'

Elgenie's face was filled with terror.

It wasn't just a matter of being creepy or scary.

As she was called the Blood Queen, she was a Legion Commander with the ability to control blood.

And the moment her eyes met Leo's red eyes.

She could feel a blood smell so strong it choked her.

'The smell of demon blood.'

She was overwhelmed just by making eye contact.

Her instincts told her.

That the human before her had slaughtered unimaginable demons.

The moment Elgenie, seeing Leo looking at her with the eyes of a butcher, instinctively decided to flee.

*Slash-*!

"Kiiiaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Leo was slicing Elgenie's neck with his sword.